In The News

Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate: Financial Times

Chris Giles November 10, 2019
Multinationals can sell products and services in more than 200 nations, and many, especially big technology firms, shift profits across borders to minimize tax bills. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents democracies, is reviewing global tax policies: one recommendation would allow countries to tax operations even if the companies have no physical presence,...

Four-Day Workweek Boosts Productivity: Japan Times

Kazuaki Nagata November 9, 2019
Companies could save money by trying a four-day workweek, sharpening employee focus while providing more time for home life. Microsoft tested a four-day workweek for one month in Japan and discovered that productivity increased among sales staff by 40 percent. The experiment did not reduce pay, and every Friday in August was a paid holiday. Management also asked workers to communicate more over...

Hill Deposition

November 9, 2019
Fiona Hill oversaw interactions pertaining to Europe and NATO as well as Russia, Turkey and Ukrainewas with the National Security Council as. a senior director with the National Security Counci since early 2017. During that time, she observed sloppy security practices, manipulations, internal score setting and targeted leaks to undermine colleagues along with lack of transparency in...

Taylor Deposition

November 8, 2019
William Taylor reported to work at the US embassy in Ukraine on June 17, appointed chargé d'affaires by the Secretary of State and the president. He soon realized that the president’s private attorney Rudy Giuliani was promoting shadow US policies and priorities counter to US security interests. Taylor raised alarm, sending a cable to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after learning that the...

Twitter Workers Charged for Spying: Washington Post

Ellen Nakashima and Greg Bensinger November 8, 2019
The US Department of Justice has charged two former Twitter employees, sending out a warning that any activities on tech platforms – social media, email, search engines – can be accessed by spies. The two men Saudi nationals tracked thousands of prominent critics of Saudi Arabia, marking the first formal accusations of the country spying in the United States. Foreign governments with nefarious...

End of Neoliberalism: Project Syndicate

Joseph Stiglitz November 7, 2019
Neoliberal policies and unfettered markets undermined democracy for 40 years, destroying hopes of economic growth and the spread of democracy. “The effects of capital-market liberalization were particularly odious: If a leading presidential candidate in an emerging market lost favor with Wall Street, the banks would pull their money out of the country,” explains Joseph Stiglitz for Project...

India Steps Back From RCEP Trade Pact: Reuters

Matthew Tostevin November 7, 2019
China has joined with ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to develop the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP. If successful, RCEP, could become the world’s largest trade agreement. The agreement gradually reduces tariffs and streamlines export requirements, reports Matthew Tostevin for Reuters, and “offers an incentive for companies to build supply chains within...